Subversive Jewelry Designer Justin Giunta's Fashion Week Report

Saturday: I have to say, the odds were against me today. Between a feverish cold, the Thai humidity, and the rain, I wasn't sure how much fashion I could handle today. But alas I rallied!

Karen Walker was a show I had never attended, but I jumped at the opportunity to catch a glimpse of what this enigmatic designer had to offer. Long ago I tried to break into fashion while living in New Zealand. Back then, Karen Walker was the top Kiwi designer and I found it to be an interesting although challenging endeavor for a designer to break off the island and show on the world stage. (New Zealand has a bunch of amazing talent, but is a bit isolated!) Karen has been showing in New York for the past few seasons and is a point of inspiration for me, as she has taken her unique talent to the global market. The show itself, titled "The Believers," was a misty hippie throwback to paisley chiffon blouses. The accessories were of the macramé variety with pastel skull bead accents.

A change into some dry clothes, a shot of cough syrup, and off to Bungalow 8 to see Loden Dager's spring presentation... Bungalow's trompe l'oeil poolside setting was a perfect oasis from the hurricane ensuing outside. Being a friend and neighbor of the Loden Dager crew, I was keeping my eyes open for some potential jewelry bartering. The event was very mellow, and everyone in attendance cozied up for the show and lingered around for hours to partake in free libations and a little social networking.

These green pants were among my favorites; I would love to share the other selections but got blocked by the flash queen standing behind me!

Catching a break in the weather, I walked over to see Elise Overland's presentation. Elise and I took an inspirational holiday together in April, traveling through Marrakech and Essaouira to absorb our surroundings, and exporting our favorite finds. I was excited to see how our trip was translated into her collection of cool satin chic uniforms.

On my way out, I caught my favorite blogger, Faran, and asked for some advice on the art of blogging. "Post every day, and make the reader feel like they are next to you!" she shouted from under her umbrella as I was shoved into the day's first available taxi and whisked off to the tents for the Alexandre Herchcovitch show. The collection Mr. Herchcovitch presented was truly the most exciting fashion I had seen thus far. From the crazy architectural heels to the crocheted ruffle details cascading down the back of almost every garment, it was apparent that this designer's priority was on the fantasy that fashion offers, and less on the commercial viability of making clothes for the U.S. market. The collection was truly inspired, cohesive, and unique!

In case you were wondering, I'm not only going to shows and blogging this week, but also have jewelry on five runways including DKNY this Sunday morning. In fact, I received an urgent message from the DKNY team, while at the Herchcovitch show, begging for one more bauble to cap off their 20th-anniversary runway celebration slated for 11am the next morning! But this designer happens to love a challenge, so after the last pleated crotch, I left the runway and bolted down to my studio.

Unfortunately, I forgot I was having some old college friends (who now live in Switzerland) over for drinks. (Remember, fashion week matters only to people in fashion, and the rest of the world continues to happen outside the tents.) So after pouring the champagne at my apartment, I invited the crew over to my studio, conveniently located five doors away, and whipped out a metallic confection amid swooning friends playing dress-up, or in this case "jewel-up."

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